While we couldn’t be happier to have bid a grand adieu to 2020, we have to admit that year taught us quite a few lessons, the most important being self-care. Washing hands, eating right and working on our wellbeing has taken the front seat. So, as we settle into the New Year hoping things will get better and back to normal, we should not forget the importance of leading a healthier life and eating just the right foods. In other words, if having a new year diet plan, aka a resolve to eat healthily, then now is the time.

We know dietary resolutions are difficult to maintain, and the main reason for this is that our new year diet plan is usually not feasible in the first place or isn’t incorporated smoothly into our daily routines. This is because both dieting and healthy eating require a certain degree of planning, discipline and effort to follow sincerely and throughout the year.

A very effective way of doing so is to prepare a practical ‘food plan’. The intent is to create a personalised food plan that would set realistic goals and action steps, making it easier to stick to the prescribed diet and achieve healthier goals.

Dr Dana Al-Hamwi of India Gate, a renowned dietician and nutritionist in Dubai, has come to the rescue by sharing insights on the best new year diet plan, gleaned from more than two decades of experience and learning.

New Year Diet Plan Ideas from the Experts

An ideal food plan should above all be holistic and feasible, in terms of including the staple food items of the region, taking into consideration climatic conditions, dietary and social restrictions. This will ensure that healthy eating becomes a part of daily life, followed the whole year round – establishing a path to physical fitness, mental well-being and an overall healthy lifestyle.

Remember to hydrate

In the Middle East, given the region’s hot and arid climate, adequate intake of water is imperative. The diet should incorporate leafy vegetables and fruits, and other ingredients with high water content such as rice, chia seeds, quinoa and more. Avoid food high in salt and caffeine content as these ingredients dehydrate the body.

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Meal timings

Along with the content, the frequency and timing of meals is also important. It is better to have small meals at regular intervals rather than having two big meals a day. The old adage of ‘Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper’ is more than just a homily, containing the distilled wisdom of our elders. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should never be skipped. Try and have your meals at the same time every day.

Exercise, exercise, exercise

Exercise is the other pillar of a fit and healthy body. People aiming to lose weight often make the mistake of focusing on their diet, without engaging in any exercise or fitness activity. This approach doesn’t yield the desired results because when you ingest a lesser quantity of food, your brain automatically goes into starvation mode, slowing down your body’s metabolism rate, as a result of which your weight remains at the same level. Starting a physical activity concurrently with your diet will provide the dual benefits of lower calorie consumption and boosting your metabolism rate, enabling you to reach your weight targets faster. Also, muscles require more calories to function, therefore the more muscle mass you gain, the faster you lose weight.

30 minutes of daily exercise of any activity or form that you like is sufficient. It is important that the activity be regular and moderately intensive.

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Positive outlook towards life

Have a positive and optimistic outlook on life, which will help in reducing stress. Meditation or indulging in your passions are good stressbusters.

Some do’s and don’ts when it comes to dieting are:

Limit intake of salt, sugar, soft drinks and sweetened drinks
Add healthy fibre sources to your daily diets, such as Quinoa and brown rice
Increase the intake of fruits and vegetables
Eat fish twice a week, especially oily fish
Cut down on saturated fat
Add one tablespoon of flax and chia seeds to your daily diet
Try healthy cooking habits using basmati rice. Basmati rice has low glycemic index rice compared to other rice types, which means once digested it releases its energy slowly keeping the blood sugar levels stable.
Certain foods support a healthy lifestyle, like spring artichoke (Folic acid-Vit B+C) which is good for liver health, summer berries (Lycopene-rich in antioxidant), watermelon (Carotene water), yoghurt (Probiotics), Autumn’s whole grains, Quinoa (high in proteins), broccoli (high in antioxidants), winter oatmeal (healthy fibre), cauliflower, pumpkin soup, and sweet potatoes

Regulate fluids intake

Particular care must be taken during the seasonal transition months, such as the advent of summer in May and September when summer transitions into winter. During such times, regulate your water intake to remain sufficiently hydrated and eat high protein foods like Quinoa.

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Ramadan

The holy month of Ramadan – a time for both fasting and feasting – is another period when people need to be very particular about what they eat and when. Dr Dana has some tips to remain healthy and safe during the fasting month:

Hydration – water intake is very important to avoid headaches
Cut down caffeine and sugar
Break your fast with dates and yoghurt
Include a bowl of soup in your iftar meal
Don’t skip Suhoor
Include bananas in your Suhoor meal (high Magnesium content)
Avoid having too many plates in the table
Avoid fried food, juices and sweets
Try to include healthy sweets such as quinoa cookies, chia seed pudding etc. instead of Muhalabieh and dry fruits
Avoid Salty foods
Try to move around and be more active after iftar
Avoid high-intensity exercises during fasting
Include chia seeds in the pudding to avoid constipation

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We hope that these tips become useful in designing your personalised new year diet plan. What are some of the food plans you’ve incorporated in your new year resolutions? Feel free to share in the comments.